PACKAGE FOR CONTAINING TUBULAR PRODUCTS, SUCH AS VIALS AND THE LIKE

EMBALLAGE D'ARTICLES TUBULAIRES, DES FIOLES OU ASSIMILES

English Abstract

A package includes a box, made of card-board,
in which a support element, also made of card-board,
is inserted. This U-shaped element has fixed wings,
with coaxial holes, inside which products, e.g. vials
are inserted. The edge of each hole has radial
segments which engage the neck of the products and
prevent them from slippage. The element of support
can be provided with flaps with appendixes having
heads which rest against the bottom and the cover of
the box; in this way the bottom and the the neck are
effectively protected.

French Abstract

Un emballage comprend une boîte en carton dans laquelle est inséré un élément de support également en carton. Cet élément de support en forme de U a des ailes fixes percées de trous coaxiaux dans lesquels on introduit des produits, p. ex. des fioles. Le bord de chaque trou a des segments radiaux qui se mettent en prise sur le col des produits et les empêche de glisser. L'élément de support peut être fourni avec des rebords à appendice ayant une tête qui repose contre le fond et le couvercle de la boîte; ainsi le fond et le col se trouvent bien protégés.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive
property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A package for containing tubular products, each of
the products constituted by a cylindrical body and a neck,
and a narrowing portion mutually connecting the body to the
neck; said package comprising a box having a length that is
longer than said tubular products, a U-shaped support element
inserted into said box for supporting at least one tubular
product, said support element having a base, a first wing and
a second wing, each wing having a first edge hinged to an
opposite end of said base and each wing having a second edge
which is free, the free edge being opposite to the hinged
edge, the wings being upright and the plane of the wings
being parallel to each other, said base having two free
sides, said first wing having at least a first through hole
into which the body of said product is inserted, said second
wing having at least a second through hole coaxial with said
first hole, the second hole approximating the diameter of
said narrowing portion, an edge of said second hole having
radial splits which form flexible segments which elastically
permit the passage of the neck therethrough and which hold
said narrowing portion of said tubular product therein.
2. A package for containing tubular products, each of
the products constituted by a cylindrical body and a neck,
and a narrowing portion mutually connecting the body to the
neck; said package comprising a box having a length that is

longer than said tubular products, a U-shaped support element
inserted into said box for supporting at least one tubular
product, said support element having a base, a first wing and
a second wing, each wing having a first edge hinged to an
opposite end of said base and each wing having a second edge
which is free, the free edge being opposite to the hinged
edge, the wings being upright and the plane of the wings
being parallel to each other, the base having two side edges,
two flaps hinged to the side edges of said base between said
wings, said first wing having at least a first through hole
into which the body of said product is inserted, said second
wing having at least a second through hole coaxial with said
first hole, the second hole approximating the diameter of
said narrowing portion, an edge of said second hole having
radial splits which form flexible segments which elastically
permit the passage of the neck therethrough and which hold
said narrowing portion of said tubular product therein, and
means hinged to at least one of said flaps to cover and
protect the tubular product held in said support element.
3. A package according to claim 2, wherein said
covering and protecting means includes a tab hinged to one of
said flaps.
4. A package according to claim 2, wherein said
covering and protecting means includes two tabs, each tab
hinged to one of said flaps.

Description

'' 20637~9
_
pA~AGR FOR CONTAINING TUBULA'R PRODUCTS, SUCH AS VIALS
AND '1~ LIKE
RA~,~.~OUND OF THE lNv~r.llON
The invention relates to the farmaceutical
packaging field, particularly to the sector of the
10 packaging of products, e.g. vials and the like, which
are made of glass.
15 DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Tubular products, e.g. vials and the like,
which are made of glass, must be kept in a package
that can contain a plurality of them separate from
20 one another and that prevents them sufficiently from
breaking during the transport or the handling of the
finished pack~ge.
A kncwn package is constituted by a box in
which an element of support (called "rondo" by the
25 technicians of the field) is inserted.
The element of support is constituted by a
corrugated card-board, folded in such a way as to
form a plurality of flanked seats, with U-shaped
section, and is glued to a lower card-board blank
30 provided with only lateral wings folded vertically to
close the ends of said seats.
The above mentioned package is complicated as

20637~9
far as the element of support is concerned; besides
the-presence of adhesive agents in the latter causes
problems of environmental pollution on the disposal
of the package.
In a further known package the element of
support is made like a drawer by moulding a suitable
plastic material.
Everybody knows the problems connected with
the getting rid of the plastic articles, particularly
10 if they are not biodegradable.
ST~ ARY OF THE lNV~.llON
The object of the invention is to propose a
package in which the products, such as vials and the
like, are separated one from another and sufficiently
protected from breaking during the transport or the
20 use of the package.
Another object of the invention is to propose
a package which does not involve the use of adhesive
agents or plastic materials and is made of a
material that does not present ecological problems
25 connected with the disposal of the package.
A further object of the invention is to
propose a package formed in such a way that it does
not cause the contact between the products during the
removal of one of them effected by the user.
The above described objects are achieved by a
package for containing tubular products, vials and
the like, with each of these products constituted by

20637~9
a cylindrical body and a neck mutually connected by a
narrowing, and with said package comprising a box
the internal length of which is bigger than the
length of said tubular products, an element od
5 support inserted into said box for supporting at
least one tubular product, said element having U-
shaped section and being provided with wings, first
and second respectively, parallel to the bottom and
to the cover of said box, with said first wing having
10 at least a first through hole in which the body of
said products is inserted, and with said second wing
having at least a second through hole, made coaxial
with said first hole, the edge of said second hole
having radial splits which form flexible segments
15 which elastically hold said neck of said tubular
product.
20 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The characteristics of the invention will be
described with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which:
25 - figure 1 shows a plan view of the blank from which
it is possible to obtain the element of support
according to a first embodiment;
- figure 2 shows a perspective view of the element of
support according to the first embodiment while it
is used;
- figure 3 shows a top plan view of the blank from
which it is possible to obtain the element of

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1_
-- 4
support relative to a second embodiment;
- figure 4 shows a front view of the element of
support in use and according to the second
embodiment;
5 - figures 5, 6 show what is shown in figure 4, as it
is seen according to the directions A, B
respectively;
- figure 7 shows an exploded view of the components of
the proposed package;
10 - figures 8, 9 show a perspective view of two
variations of the element of support.
15 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference to the figures 1 and 2, numeral
1 indicates a blank of card-board with two
longitudinal fold lines 2a, 2b.
These fold lines delimit two wings 3a,3b which
can be folded in the same direction, along the fold
lines, so as to define an element of support 4 with
longitudinal U-shaped section (fig. 2).
The dimensions H, K of this element are not
25 superior to the internal width and height of the
correspondent box 5 (fig. 7).
Numeral 6 indicates a tubular product (e.g.
vial) constituted by a cylindrical body 7a and a neck
7b mutually connected by a narrowing 7c; the length
30 of this vial is inferior to the internal length of
the box 5.
The first wing 3a has a series of first

2063749
through holes 8, with a predetermined distance from
each other.
The second wing 3b has a series of through
holes 9, of diameter smaller than the diameter of
5 previously cited holes.
Each second hole 9 is coaxial with a related
first hole 8, and the edge of each second hole has
radial splits that define flexible segments 11.
The insertion of a vial 6 into the element 4
10 takes place in the following way.
The neck 7b is made to pass trhough a first
hole 8, until it inserts in a second hole 9,
correspondent to the previous one, remaining engaged
therein because of the elastic flexion of the
15 segments 11.
Hence the hole 8 lets the body 7a glide
smoothly, until the narrowing 7c is positioned in
correspondence with the segments 11.
The external diameter of the narrowing is
20 larger then the diameter of the second hole 9, and
therefore after the connection has been accomplished
the segments 11 remain slightly bent.
This is extremely profitable since it allows
to block the vial 6 in the element 4 thus avoiding
25 the axial gliding of the vial in case of accidental
stresses of the box S, inside which there is the
support 4 with the vial 6.
By accidental stresses it is meant those
resulting from the transport of the package or from
30 its handlig (e.g. placing the package in a relative
space, handling of the package by the user etc.).
Due to the element 4 the the vials 6, blocked

20637~9
~,
therein, are prevented from hitting each other.
When it is desired to protect efficiently the
bottom 7d and/or the external end 7e of the vial, the
embodiments illustrated by the figures 3,4,5,6,7,8,9
5 should be used.
From the figure 3 it results evident that two
flaps 12,13 extend from the sides of the base la of
the blank that do not have the wings.
The flaps 12 and 13, which are coplanar with
10 the base la and hinged to it by two fold lines
l9a,19b, have two longitudinal appendixes 14 and 15.
These flaps are folded like the wings 3a,3b in
order to form the seond embodiment of the element 4
(figures 4,5,6,7).
Preferibly, the height of the flaps is the
same as the height of the wings 3a, 3b (fig.5)~ while
the heads 14a, 15a of the cited appendixes 14, 15 are
jutting in respect of the bottom 7d and the top 7e of
each vial (figures 4,6).
When the element 4, with the related flaps, is
inserted in the box 5, the cited heads 14a, 15a
constitute an efficient rest part for the bottom 17
and the cover 18 of the box 5.
The corners of the heads 14a, lSa have
25 bluntings 16 that help the insertion of the closing
edges of the bottom and the cover of the box.
The element 4, obtained in this way, with the
vials blocked in it, is showed by the figures 4,5,6,7
while the same figure 7 shows the components of the
30 package, i.e. the element 4 and the box 5 for
containing the same.
The structure of the element of support 4

~v
~ Q ~ ~ 7 4 ~ ~
allows to optimize the use of the space available in
the box and at the same time it contributes to
stiffen the package obtained from the box 5 and the
element 4 with relative vials 6.
In order to remove a vial 6 from the package
it is necessary to draw the element 4 out of the box
and slip a vial out of the relative holes 8, 9; to do
this it is enough to overcome the elastic reaction of
the segments 11.
This operation does not cause possible hits
between the vial being slipped out and the other
vials, neither hits between the latters.
In order to protect still more efficiently the
vials 6 and at the same time to stiffen the package,
lS there are provided the variations showed by the
figures 8,9.
In the variation of the fig. 8, there are two
tabs 2la and 2lb, respectively hinged to the upper
longitll~in~l edges of the flaps 12 and 13, by means
20 of fold lines 20a and 20b-
The width of each tab is equal to H/2,therefore the same tabs when folded inwards cover one
side of the element 4; in this way the vials are
effieciently protected from accidental stresses and
25 the package obtained is stiffer than the one showed
by fig. 7.
In the variation of fig. 9 there is provided
only one tab 22, of the width equal to H. The tab 22
is hinged to one of the flaps 12, 13.
The element of support 4, in both the
embodiments and the considered variations, can be
obtained from a blank of card-board; therefore, there

2063749
_
are no problems connected with performing the
operative phases which define the final structure of
the element 4.
The structure of the element 4 is such that it
5 optimizes the use of the space available in the box,
i.e. allows to save card-board with consequent
positive effect on the costs of the package.
The element 4 once used, i.e. after the user
has taken all the vials out of it, does not provoke
10 problems with its disposal, that is extremely
advantageous from an ecological point of view.
Obviously the holes 8 and correspondent holes
9, can be of different diameters, with the
possibility to block vials 6 of different dimensions
15 in the element 4.

Representative Drawing